Army units are hunting for foreign terrorists, probably from the pro-Iranian Hezbollah organisation, who are looking to exploit the volatile situation in the country

Egyptian forces on the Suez Canal were put on high alert this morning amid
rumours that foreign terrorists were planning attacks to bring traffic in
the vital waterway to a halt.

The Cairo paper Al-Aharam reported this morning that army units are hunting
for foreign terrorists, probably from the pro-Iranian Hezbollah
organisation, who are looking to exploit the volatile situation in the
country and hit Egypt's most sensitive strategic location.

The canal is one of the biggest income sources for the Egyptian government and
is also an important military asset, and the American administration has
already indicated that they will keep the waterway open through military
means if necessary.

There have also been reports that Al-Qaeda has sent scores of suicide bombers
to the Sinai peninsula to try and enter Egypt. "They hope to topple
President Hosni Mubarak's regime to establish Islamic caliphate," said
an Egyptian scholar.